Flooding Shores
by chocolateverries
Summary: AU Arrow/Flashpoint fic! (Basic Flashpoint knowledge necessary) Haunted by their past, brother and sister fight to stay alive while protecting a city that has mobilized against them, hiding from their enemies, and protecting themselves against their worst enemies - themselves. Can Team One help Jules? Can Jules help Oliver? Will these two ever find love and salvation?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: First Arrow Story! So, this is like a crossover between Arrow and Flashpoint, but you don't need to know that much about Flashpoint - only the basic characters and such. Anyways, I hope ya'll enjoy! Please Review and let me know! Reviews make me happy! Disclaimer: Don't own Flashpoint or Arrow**

Oliver Queen has accomplished many things, but his most important accomplishment was surviving the hellish island of Lian Yu, the poisonous city of Hong Kong and the malevolent country of Russia with his baby sister, Julianna.

When he was 18, his parents unanimously decided to celebrate his high school graduation by embarking on 'an exciting family cruise to reconnect and have fun'. Their words, not his. His sister was only 13 at the time and excited about the whole ordeal. The little adventurer had researched and talked nonstop about whale sighting and scuba diving on the days leading up to their departure. Although his idea of a celebration was throwing a party at the Queen mansion with his best friend Tommy Merlyn and getting drunk and laid, he reluctantly agreed to the escapade. After all, his sister's big brown eyes and pouty lips made it impossible to say no.

He wishes he had said no. He sometimes dreams he had said no. Then his parents, Robert and Moira Queen, would still be alive. Then his baby sister's skin wouldn't be marred by a myriad of scars, very much like his own. Her innocence wouldn't have been stolen by that formidable island. Her recurring nightly terrors wouldn't be a constant reminder of what they both had done to survive. Her skills wouldn't rival those of a highly trained assassin.

But he had said yes. His parents had died on that shipwreck, swallowed whole by the dark North China sea. Jules's tan skin was marred by both thin and thick scars, very much like his own. Her innocence had been stolen the day she was forced to murder a man in cold blood. Night terrors constantly plagued both their nights, forcing them to relive the death, the loss, and the darkness lurking on the edges of their sanity. And she had skills that could put a highly trained assassin to shame. Because of him. Because he taught her. It was his fault they had been thrust into that treacherous situation in the first place. Because he had said yes.

Seven years. Since the day he said that cursed three letter word, since the day they died. The four of them.

Seven years in hell. Three years on an island whose name literally means purgatory; Lian Yu was, and still is, used as a Chinese prison and torture site. Two years in Hong Kong under Waller's wicked dictatorship, forced to become the monsters they had evaded during their stay on the viperous island. And two years in Russia as assassins on the run, the blood of those they had killed drying on their hands and marking a scent for their enemies to follow.

Seven years later and they were still running. But he decided it's time to go into hiding in yet another country. Canada.

And they did. They purchased a cabin tucked away in a large expanse of dark woods. They acquired motorcycles from the black market, transportation not monitored by any government or company.

Oliver became a ghost, dead to the world, while his sister revived as Jules Callaghan (their mother's maiden name), not Julianna Queen, in order to work as a cop.

He became a bow-wielding vigilante by night and a car mechanic by day. His baby sister joined the academy and became a police officer in order to keep tabs on crime to relay to him. On her nights off or when she got off early, she worked with the vigilante. He's proud. And guilty.

* * *

 **5 years since they moved to Canada...**

 _"Go, go, go!" In front of him, Jules runs as fast as she can, her eyes wide in an uncharacteristic show of fear as she turns to check on him. He yells again, his lungs burning. "Don't look back! Keep running!"_

 _He can hear their boots thumping loudly from behind him, killing roots and vines that reach out to capture them all. Lian Yu is darker and damper today, the large trees looming overhead, obstructing exits, leaving them all trapped in its sinister land._

 _Sweat pours down his face, soaking his clothes. They are back on the island running from unknown enemies. Slade? Fyers and his mercenaries? Ivo? A mob of Russian assassins? He doesn't know. All he knows is if they stop, they're dead._

 _He hears it before he sees it. The familiar swoosh an arrow makes passing by his ear._

 _"NOOOO!"_

 _But he's too late. Jules falls, an arrow protruding from her back. He feels tears sting at his eyes like needles as he runs faster, causing his lungs to scream in protest. Dropping on his knees beside her, he turns her over. Lifeless chocolate eyes stare back at him. He screams and cries like he never has before. Pain surges in, threatening to choke him. His ears begin to ring and he hears yelling from afar._

"Oliver!...Oliver! Wake up. It's not real."

Confused, he opens his wild eyes. Relief floods him when he sees the brunette on the floor, kneeling beside him, concern marring her delicate features.

He throws his arms around her and hugs her tightly, quiet sobs racking his body. Jules rubs his back gently, whispering soothing words.

Even after all these years, the terrors that plagued them on the island haven't stopped for either of them.

Once he calms, they quietly rise from the floor and she leaves him to get ready for work. Words aren't necessary, they understand. More times than not it is she who awakes in the claws of a nightmare and he holds her while she calms.

After going through his morning routine, he makes his way downstairs clad in a form fitting black t-shirt and dark wash jeans.

His little sister is already downstairs in her worn jeans and gray t-shirt, cutting up strawberries and bananas while the pancakes simmer in the frying pan.

"Smells good. But don't you have work? You should be out by now if you want to make it in time."

He is referring to their driveway, or lack thereof. Since they live miles from the closest main road, veiled by the forest, it's a good hour drive to civilization.

She turns, shooting him a smile. "Yup, but we go in a couple hours later today 'cause of the overtime last night."

Jules has been working in Toronto's top tactical unit, SRU Team One, for a year now. She was fast tracked after her skills blew away everyone in the precinct despite her young age of 25.

Although he's proud and confident in her skills, he constantly worries that she won't come home. She risks her life by day and night, always running head first into danger. He can't help but feel like she's tempting fate, taunting it with her actions.

Guilt eats at him. It's his fault she's in these positions.

"Hey, I'm okay. Nothing happened last night. It was a bank robbery gone wrong. We kept the peace." Her hand on his shoulder pulls him from his dark thoughts.

His green eyes meet hers. "I worry."

"I know." She smiles sadly. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Taking a small bite of her pancake, Jules changes the topic, "Any leads on John Cardbough?"

Cardbough is one of the biggest gun traffickers in the country. While the police can do nothing but catch his distributors due to insufficient evidence on Cardbough, Oliver has decided to take out Cardbough himself.

"Actually, yes. A laptop. But it's heavily encrypted."

The previous night, while Jules was still at work, he donned his emerald green attire and headed to the warehouse where Cardbough is known to do business. He was successful in capturing most of the group present and keeping the death count to a minimum, but the big fish got away. As he raked the warehouse for clues, he found a laptop concealed by a large wooden crate. He attempted to break in but to no avail.

"I think I know someone who can help us. Spike can do just about anything with a computer." She raises an eyebrow in question. "Want me to ask him?"

He smiles genuinely. His little sister is the only one who gets to see his rare smiles since the shipwreck. "Yeah. I'll give you the laptop before you leave."

* * *

Jules arrives at the SRU headquarters in record time. Climbing off her slick black motorcycle, she makes sure she has the laptop secured in her duffel bag, before heading inside. Straight for the stairs.

Both cars and elevators, and any enclosed space really, brings back terrible memories she'd much rather forget. And refuses to voice.

Exiting the stairwell, she frowns. Sam Braddock, Team One's rookie straight out of JTF2, is talking to Winnie, who is obviously flirting with him going by her behavior. _Unbelievable._ Just yesterday, he had asked _her_ out.

She internally chastises herself for her reaction. She shouldn't care. But somehow, whenever she sees or talks with the blond rookie she feels conflicting emotions that she doesn't understand.

Rolling her eyes, she makes her way towards her locker room. She almost makes it.

"Hey! Jules, wait up."

She resists the urge to ignore him and slowly turns to see Sam jogging towards her.

He raises an eyebrow. "Why did you ignore me back there?"

"You were busy flirting with Winnie." She answers matter of factly, but for some unknown reason it makes his smile widen, showing off some pearly white teeth.

"Are you upset?"

"Why would I be?"

His intense blue eyes twinkle and she feels an odd sensation coursing through her being. It intensifies when he takes a step closer.

His voice lowers, deepening. "I don't know. Are you?"

Their eyes lock and she feels a beautiful sensation of drowning in his eyes. The logical part of her brain scolds her, saying that doesn't make any sense. She has drowned before and it wasn't beautiful. But her heart says otherwise, urging her to jump in.

But as always, her logical mind prevails.

She clears her throat, breaking their odd connection. Her voice comes out lower than intended. "I better go get dressed."

Not waiting for a response, she walks away.

* * *

"Hey! Spike!"

Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti, bomb and computer geek, turns to see the only female member of Team One walking out of her locker room. He smiles and waits.

"Yes, Jules?"

The pretty brunette, clad in the grey cargo pants and the grey long sleeve button up that is their uniform, lifts the laptop she's holding. "I need your help with something."

"Sure. What ya need? Forgot your password?" He teases and is rewarded with a small smile.

"It's encrypted and I need to know what's on here."

He raises a skeptical eyebrow. "Isn't it yours?"

She grins. "It's my brother's."

He laughs. "You are evil. Can't you allow the poor guy some privacy?"

Jules shrugs. "It's important. So, can you?"

Spike feigns hurt. "Jules _, can_ I?"

She rolls her eyes good naturedly. "Will you?"

He smiled cheekily. "Will you make me cookies? Like the ones you made last time? With the white and milk chocolate?"

"Deal."

"Alright then. Let me see."

Jules relinquishes her hold on the laptop and passes it to Spike.

He walks into an empty conference room, Jules on his heels, and settles down with the laptop. He opens it up and easily bypasses the password. _Huh, Jules wasn't kidding, this thing is encrypted_ , he thinks, starting a decryption program. He glances over at Jules, who's sitting in the chair next to him, her brown eyes intently watching him work.

He is surprised and glad Jules asked him for help. When she joined the team, she was guarded and closed-off, never giving the team any information about her life, or herself for that matter. Honestly, it was scary, the way she held herself, pulled the trigger without a blink, and scored above and beyond in marksmanship and combat of any kind. Recently, however, she laughed and smiled with the team, trusted them a bit more. They still don't know much about her past but only time will tell how much they'll learn. Because she's family now. He, Lew, and Sam love her and protect her like a little sister. Greg, Ed, and Wordy are like father figures, always concerned and offering advice when needed.

A ping pulls him from his thoughts and he realizes the decryption program is complete.

He furrows his eyebrows in confusion. The screen shows images of heavy duty guns and information written in a language he doesn't understand. He laughs nervously. "Dang, your brother is seriously into guns."

She seems unfazed by the comment, her eyes alight with hope."Is it decrypted? Can it be accessed at a later time?"

"Yeah."

Abruptly, before he can take a closer look at the information before him, Jules stands and shuts the laptop. She gives him a sincere, yet guarded, smile. "Thanks Spike."

He, or anyone really, have never met her brother, and by the looks of what he just saw, he doesn't think he wants to. But instead of keeping his suspicion to himself, he can't help but ask. "So, what's with all the guns?"

"He likes guns."

She offers no further information. Her face and eyes devoid of emotion, giving nothing away.

He nods uncertainly. "Okay. I'll go get dressed now, briefing in 20 after all. You need any more technical assistance, you ask, k?"

Her face softens and she nods, flashing him one of her rare smiles. She leaves and he stares after her.

Jules is a very guarded dark mystery. A very complex puzzle he intends to put together, for her sake and his. In her short 25 years of life something horrible has happened, and Spike's gut tells him he won't like it when he finds.

 **Review? Please?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I was so excited with the favorites, follows, and reads! Thank you all so much! Remember, I don't own Flashpoint or Arrow and I love reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter - italics is the flashback!**

Turns out the encrypted laptop held very valuable information: John Cardbough's detailed catalogue of heavy duty machine guns and rifles _and_ the coordinates of the storage unit where the weapons are stored. Jackpot.

Or, since all the information was in Dutch, it was a _Dutch_ jackpot. But he got it translated to English for the cops' sake.

Oliver has no idea how the computer geek Jules told him about managed to break in, but he's grateful. Unknowingly, the man will help them destroy enough illegal weapons to destroy Cardbough's gun trafficking ring and nail Cardbough to the ground with the evidence he will plant.

Not to mention the confession Cardbough will provide after the chat he had with the man the other night.

"It's set. I'm clearing out now."

Jules's voice over his ear piece brings him back to their current mission.

"Got it."

He leaps from his perch on the thick branched tree, landing with a barely audible crunch due to the twigs and leaves beneath his feet. He raises his bow, an arrow firmly in place, and scans his surroundings, illuminated only by moonlight.

Today's mission was simple: set up a bomb in the storage unit to blow up Cardbough's merchandise. He would be the scout, making sure no one headed their way, while Jules set the bomb inside. After the explosion, he'll plant the laptop. Cops will find it and Cardbough will go to jail for a very long time.

A faint rustle in the leaves causes him to quickly turn to his right, where Jules, clad in a form fitting black shirt, black leather pants, and black combat boots, materializes from the thick dark bushes.

She flashes him a smug smirk before revealing a device in her gloved hand. He hears a click and then a powerful explosion rattles the night, momentarily washing away the darkness with a blinding light.

It's over in a second. He removes the protective foam from his ears and she does the same. He looks to the inferno, already sizzling away as smoke replaces the weapons of mass destruction.

Securing his bow and arrows on his back, he turns to his sister. And growls in frustration.

"Where the heck is your mask?"

She rolls her eyes and gives a small huff. "You know I hate that thing. Plus it was useless in this case."

He has to admit it's a good point. Still, he keeps his green eyes trained on her, challenging her to back down. As expected, she doesn't.

"Fine. But next time you have to wear it."

She nods and rolls her shoulders to adjust the backpack he just notices has been on her the whole time.

"What's that?"

"What?" He points to her back and she glances at the pack. "Oh _that_. I salvaged some of Cardbough's weapons. Took out their trackers and numbers while I was in there. That's why I took another five."

He nods, impressed. "Good thinking."

She flashes him a devious smile. "Couldn't let them all go to waste."

He smirks and takes out the laptop from where he hid it among the bushes. "I'll be back."

He walks to the wreckage and carefully places the laptop among some charred metal, making sure the cops won't miss it.

He then makes his way back to his sister and they start the trek to his motorcycle.

Moonlight as their only source of light, they cautiously step over vines and dodge branches, finding his motorcycle hidden among some thick bushes about a mile from the storage unit they just blew to pieces. He climbs on and she secures herself behind him.

They make it home in less than two hours. Mission complete.

 _ ************Flashback, Lian Yu, 12 years ago**_

 _"Ollie? Are mom and dad really dead? I think I see them."_

 _Oliver heaved a pained sigh and looked down at the groggy girl cuddled to his side, her eyes open but glazed over. He tightened his hold on her, attempting to shield her from all that's befallen them in the last six days. Or seven. He cannot be sure._

 _Six or seven days ago they had set sail on the Queen's Gambit, their family's cruise ship, and everything was going as planned. However, that same night a raging storm angered the waves, making the ocean violent and deadly._

 _And then they were sinking. He had been watching a film with his little sister one moment, and fighting to escape their floating dungeon the next._

 _Luckily the lifeboat had detached itself from the sinking vessel, and the youngest Queens had barely managed to climb in, shivering from cold and fear._

 _But that was all roughly six or seven days ago. They had been floating endlessly since, hoping someone would come to their rescue before they died from dehydration or starvation or both on the little boat._

 _Or before either of them lost their minds._

 _"Mom and dad are gone, Juli. But you got me and I promise I wont let anything bad happen to you. Just close those pretty little eyes and sleep, k?" He croaked out the words, resisting the urge to give into temptation and drink some of the poisonous salty ocean water. He needed to be alive, after all, to keep his promise._

 _She whimpered in his grasp, but no tears fell from her eyes. "I'm scared Ollie."_

 _He was fresh out of tears too. "I know, baby. Me too."_

 _A particularly strong wave caused the lifeboat to rock violently, forcing it to turn in yet another direction. Juli started shaking, her small hands grasping his shirt._

 _His heart cracked again, pained at seeing his brave little sister slowly falling apart in his arms. He couldn't watch, so he looked away._

 _And then he saw it. The island. With its jagged peaks and foggy veil, it looked unwelcoming and dangerous. But it was their only chance at survival. He shook Juli gently, attempting to awake her from her semi conscious state._

 _"Juli, look. Land. I need you to help me get there."_

 _The girl's eyes widened and she nodded. They rowed with their hands, but the formidable island seemed to move farther away as if in warning. But they kept going._

 _Hours later, they finally made it to shore. Exhausted, they fell to their knees on the rocky land, the vast coffin of water that held their parents behind them._

 _"Come on, let's go find water." Oliver stood on shaky legs and helped his sister up._

 _He thought they were safe._

 _He thought they were alone on this eerie island._

 _He thought wrong._

 _Seemingly flying out of the blue, a sharp arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. Shock and pain coursed through his body and he screamed in agony, falling once again to his knees. Juli's fearful screams cut through the pain and he looked up just in time to see a blurry figure grab her before it all went black._

 _FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFP_

 _"Oliver! Oliver! Where's Juli?"_

 _Oliver blinked a couple times. He was standing in a field whose dying grass shuddered underneath the wind, his best friend standing before him, a worried expression in his eyes._

 _"Tommy, what do you mean? She's right..."_

 _He looked to his left and to his right but couldn't spot the little girl._

 _"You're supposed to have been taking care of her man! You promised you wouldn't let anything bad happen to her!" Tommy yelled._

 _Oliver stared in shock as Tommy ran a hand through his brown locks, transforming as he did so._

 _Juli was now standing in front of him, shaking, tears streaming down her face._

 _"Ollie, I'm scared. Why did you leave me Ollie? You promised you'd protect me."_

 _He tried to run to her but realized he couldn't move. He began to panic as her cries intensified in volume and pain._

 _"Juli! I'm sorry! It's all my fault, I'm so sorry!"_

 _He thrashed but something hard bit into his shoulder and sharp pain emanated from it._

 _But then he heard something soothing in his ear. "Ollie! Wake up. Wake up Ollie."_

 _He opened his eyes and saw Juli kneeling before him, her eyes wide with worry._

 _He took a deep breath of relief. It was only a dream. They were okay._

 _The relief, however, was short lived as he realized they were not okay. They were only alive. In the hands of a man who was holding them captive in what seemed like a small cave._

 _He looked over to the man, Asian he decided, as he crushed leaves with a stone._

 _He tried to sit up and pull Juli to his side, but the sharp pain from his shoulder sent him falling back down, a scream escaping his chapped lips._

 _The Asian man turned around fully and Juli squished_ herself to his side, fear and pain evident in her eyes.

 _Oliver watched through blurry eyes as the Asian man made his way to them quietly, his black eyes locking them in place._

 _The Asian man uncovered his shoulder_ _and, without warning, yanked the arrow that had been lodged in._

 _Oliver screamed. Pain burned him to the core and his eyes blurred. He barely heard Juli's quiet sobs as she watched in horror._

 _Without saying a word, the Asian man cleaned the wound with a damp rag and applied the leaves he had been crushing into the wound._

 _Oliver's breaths were coming in short gasps of pain. Surprisingly, however, after some time, the pain numbed and all he felt was sweet nothingness. His eyes began to close but Juli's scared little hand in his kept him from doing so completely._

 _"I'm sorry Juli. I love you." He croaked out._

 _The little girl nodded in acceptance of their fate and whispered, " I love you more," before she snuggled even closer to his side and closed her eyes._

 _"I love you most." He couldn't help a small smile at their little tradition and then he closed his eyes._

 _He felt a tear slip down his face but realized it couldn't be possible because there was nothing left._

 _Maybe they were already dead._

 **Review? :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**/A/N: I don't own Arrow or Flashpoint! I love reviews! :) Thank you so much for reading!**

The following morning, Oliver awakens to echoing gunshots. Dread replaces confusion as he quickly slips on a shirt, puts on his sneakers and runs out of the cabin.

He stands in the clearing behind their home, studying each tree, hoping to spot where his little sister has made her perch. He knows standing in the open like this is extremely dangerous at the moment, but he has to find her. And fast.

He hears rustling from his right and he turns. Jules steps out from behind a tree, a Remy clutched in her hands, pointed straight at his head. Her chocolate brown eyes are blank and her posture intimidating.

He slowly raises his hands in the universal sign of surrender and takes a couple steps back. He swallows the lump in his throat at seeing his baby sister in the clutches of her demons. This isn't the first time but it doesn't mean it hurts any less.

"Juli? It's Ollie. Juli we're safe."

He hopes calling her by her childhood pet name will clear some of the fog, but it seems it's too thick to penetrate because a glint of anger enters her eyes when he speaks.

Jules clutches the gun in her hands, her weapon against the man standing in front of her. Slade Wilson.

 _Isn't he dead? Didn't Ollie kill him in Lian Yu?_

 _Looks like he didn't_ , she thinks bitterly.

Slade speaks, his trademark predator grin firmly in place. "Juli? Look at you, still so beautiful. Where's that murderer brother of yours?"

Jules places her finger on the trigger. She will kill him. Once and for all. The man that caused her and her brother so much pain and suffering must die.

Oliver panics slightly when his baby sister places her slender finger in position to pull the trigger. He knows she won't miss. He also knows she won't hesitate to kill whatever monster her mind is making her see.

What he doesn't know is who that monster is. Or how to bring her back without risking a bullet to his head.

"Juli! It's Ollie, Juli. Whatever you're seeing is not real. It isn't real. Please put down your gun Juli."

The girl narrows her eyes and he knows he has to act. _Now._

Suddenly, with no warning, he darts forward. He feels the bullet as it grazes his arm, but feels no pain. He and pain came to an understanding a long time ago.

He tackles his sister to the ground by her legs. She smacks the gun to the side of his head and he feels disoriented for a second. He wretches the gun from her hands and throws it far from her reach.

He feels a strong kick and then he's on his back. She's standing now, the gun aimed at his temple again.

"You can't beat me. I'm stronger now."

"Julianna. It's Ollie. Please sis, put the gun down. I don't want to hurt you."

Jules sees Slade speaking but can't hear what he's saying. She hears Ollie's distant voice instead, as if he's whispering from far away. Confusion ripples through her being.

Oliver can tell she can hear him now. He saw her brows furrow minutely and the dark fog in her eyes clear slightly.

"Juli, remember my promise? Remember what I said that day we found the island?... I said that I would never let anything bad happen to you... But I broke my promise, Juli." He slowly stands. He can see she's fully listening now. "And I'm so sorry for that, Juli. I'm so sorry." He whispers, his voice breaking. "But I want to make you a new promise and I won't break it even if I'm dead. I promise Juli that I will not let the monsters take you, I will not let the demons haunting us win. I promise that you and me, we'll get through this together. I promise to keep us safe, to do anything and everything in my power to keep them away. Slade, Fryers, Waller, the Russians ...they can't hurt us. Because it's me and you against the world sis." He feels tears in his eyes and he doesn't bother wiping them away. "Always has been."

Jules drops her gun and falls to her knees, her eyes misty with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry, Ollie. I could've killed you." She whispers brokenly. "I...I thought it was Slade. I, he..."

"Ssshhhh, it's okay. You didn't hurt me." He falls to his knees in front of her and wraps her in his arms. "Slade's dead. He can't hurt us anymore."

She avoids his eyes, staring at the ground. "I know. But I almost did."

He takes her face in both of his hands, forcing her eyes to meet his. He can see the pain, the remorse, even the fear she locks away. His heart breaks a little more. "You didn't hurt me. Because of you I'm still here. I'm not even gonna try to count how many times you've saved my life."

"Not more times than you've saved me." She answers honestly. A sad smile pulls at her lips. "Remember that time I was so hungry, I snuck away from you to pick some berries? God, I remember you got so angry when you saw me. You practically ripped them from my hands. I remember telling you that I hated you. I remember feeling so hurt because it was the first time you had ever screamed at me." She looks intensely into his green eyes. "But all you were trying to do was save me from eating poisonous berries. All you've ever done is try to save me, no matter how hard headed I got. Or how dangerous the situation was...Like now." She smiles softly. "Thank you, Ollie."

He hugs her hard. "Anytime sis. Anytime."

* * *

"You're late."

Jules freezes in her steps and turns to look at her team leader. "Hey Ed."

Ed raises an eyebrow. "And?"

"And..."

He narrows his eyes slightly. "And I'm late because..."

"You were late too?"

Ed tries to glare but fails when a smile spreads across his lips. "Don't let it happen again Constable Callaghan."

She flashes him a grin and resumes her steps to her locker room. Once inside, she goes straight for the showers. After the incident this morning, she didn't even have time for breakfast.

She lets the cool water wash away the memories 'seeing' Slade evoked from the dark recesses of her mind. She takes a moment to lock them back in and carefully craft a mask to face the day. She then steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around her slender body.

She looks up to meet a pair of dark eyes, watching her from the mirror. _Her_ eyes. They seem to judge her and question her. _You could've killed your brother this morning._

 _But I didn't_ , she reminds herself.

 _Maybe not this time but what about the next time?_

Movement from her left pulls her from her dark thoughts and she sees her teammate step into her locker room, his blue eyes widening when he realizes all she has on is a towel.

"Sam?"

"Hey Jules."

She raises an eyebrow.

He looks sheepish as he offers an explanation. "I knocked."

"What are you doing in here?"

Jules feels that strange emotion surging from her heart again, spreading all over her body. She tries to push it back, but it's stronger than she is. A tickling sensation flutters in her stomach and tickles her heart; she bites her lip to keep from smiling.

"I..We were worried when you didn't show up this morning. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He looks genuinely concerned but there's a predominant emotion in his eyes that she can't read.

"And I'm okay."

His eyes narrow slightly and he frowns. She follows his line of sight to the scar on the side of her arm. Its smooth line deceiving from the pain it caused.

She quickly moves her hand to cover it and the towel almost slips from her grip.

She quickly meets his worried blue eyes. "I'm okay."

He ignores her false assertion and walks toward her, his hand gently prying her hand from the scar.

She trembles slightly as the pad of his thumb smoothes over it. He then gently grazes her arm with his hand, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.

Her heart beats in a wild frenzy and the odd sensation intensifies.

She's losing control of herself. She has to make it stop.

She pulls away from him. From his touch. From whatever he makes her feel.

"And I'm okay."

His normally light blue eyes look darker. His look pierces through her heart and she realizes that it isn't just his touch that affects her. It's his presence.

She feels again that sensation of drowning as he keeps her eyes locked in his. He seems to look into her soul and it scares her. Finally, he breaks contact, nods softly and turns to leave without another word.

As soon as he leaves, she struggles to get her heart rate and breathing back to normal. Struggles to gulp air as she rises from the tides.

She can't let him have that effect on her. She can't let him in. She can't get hurt again. So she decides then and there, that she will stay away from him. From his piercing blue eyes. From his gentle touch.

She's gonna stay as far away from Sam Braddock as possible.

* * *

"Last night, an explosion shook the night from these coordinates." Sgt. Parker presses his finger to a location on the map behind him. "A small storage unit belonging to John Cardbough was situated there and it contained a large quantity of guns. A laptop was recovered from the wreckage containing a catalog of the weaponry and messages from and to Cardbough. Now that we have evidence, and a confession from Cardbough, he's being charged for gun trafficking and will be going to jail for a long time."

Jules tries to hide her grin as she remembers Oliver threatening Cardbough to confess or he would end up among the charred metal from his storage unit. The man had thought it an empty threat at the time, saying they didn't even know where it was. Jules had then lifted the laptop and the man's face had paled. Good thing he did confess, because when Oliver makes a threat he follows through.

"Think it was the Arrow and his partner?" Spike asks.

"The who?" Sam asks.

"Two wannabes in masks and leather that have been terrorizing Toronto for the past 5 years." Ed growls.

Jules bristles. "Terrorizing? They've done more to help this city than we have."

"By killing and threatening?" Wordy raises an eyebrow.

Sam can tell this is a sore topic.

Greg clears his throat. "About that, team. They won't be a problem anymore. Toronto Police is putting together a task force to capture them and bring them to justice. Anyone interested in joining can speak with Commander Holleran."

Sam sees a mixed set of reactions from the team. Wordy, Boss, and Lew look relieved. Ed looks happy and it wouldn't surprise Sam if the man wanted to lead the task force. Spike looks shocked and a bit angry. Jules looks neutral, carefully hiding her reaction.

"A whole task force for two people?" Sam turns to Ed. "If they're just wannabes why haven't they been captured yet?"

Spike grins slightly. "They're really good. Nobody has ever even seen their faces and those who have, well, they're..."

"Dead." Ed bites out. "They're killers."

Jules stares out the window numbly. After all she's survived, words can't hurt her.

"Team One! Hot call!" Winnie's words cut through the tension like a knife and the team shares one last look before heading out of the room to gear up.

Time to keep the peace. Legally.

* * *

Jules quietly walks into the cabin, it's warm glow a stark contrast to the cold darkness outside, and closes the door quietly behind her. She looks around at the kitchen and living room, searching for her brother, and frowning when she doesn't find him.

But then she hears the familiar sound of arrows being released and heads down to the basement. Oliver is shirtless, his skin glistening with sweat, muscles taut as he pulls the arrow poised on the bow. And releases. Bulls eye.

"Hey."

Oliver puts down his weapon and wipes some sweat off his face with a towel. "Hey sis. How was work?"

She sighs. "I got news."

He gives her his full attention.

"The police is putting together a task force to capture us. We're labeled as dangerous criminals." She chuckles bitterly. "They want us dead or alive... How cliché."

"We've escaped worse." Oliver supplies. "But keep an eye out just in case."

She nods. "Gotcha." She slips off her jacket and grabs her bow. "So who's next?"

He smirks as he raises his own bow. "Andrew Smoak."

She raises an eyebrow. "Who's he?"

"CEO of Smoak Hotels. Filthy rich guy that cheats people out of their money and bribes government officials in his downtime."

Jules nods. "So what's the plan?"

"We pay Smoak a visit tomorrow night. Get a confession."

"I have the night shift tomorrow. You go."

He shoots her a look. "You don't wanna ditch?"

She laughs. "Cute, Ollie. But I like my job." She smirks. "Both of them."

He grins. "Alright, sis." He motions to the bulls eye. "I know you're thing is a gun, but wanna see if you can beat me with an arrow?"

She smiles. "You're on."

 **Reviews are much appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

Jules groggily opens her eyes at the sound of faint ringing and buzzing, annoyed at her alarm clock. She mumbles unintelligibly and shifts in her bed, wrapping the duvet tighter around her body.

She usually wakes up with or before the alarm, but last night her and Oliver lost track of time in their underground training area and hit the hay at about 5 in the morning. Luckily for her, the team has the night shift today.

Unfortunately, the ringing is incessant, causing Jules to reluctantly get up and turn it off.

"Jules?"

Jules eyes the cell phone with confusion and realizes it isn't an alarm, but, according to the screen ID, a call from Sam. Her heart misses a beat and she chastises herself for that before pressing the phone to her ear. "Sam?"

On the other end of the line, Sam smiles, his heart flipping at the sound of her sleepy voice. "Morning, Jules. Hey, the team is meeting for lunch at Templeton's in an hour. Can you come?"

"Lunch?" Before she can call it back, the words leave her mouth and her eyes widen when she catches sight of her alarm clock - 11 AM.

 _I slept through my 7 AM alarm? Impossible._

Sam chuckles. "Yeah Sleepyhead, lunch."

Jules rolls her eyes. "I'm actually spending the day with my brother."

"Why don't you bring him then? Ya know the guys have been wanting to meet him."

She thinks about it and decides to agree, since she remembers Oliver mentioning he would like to meet the men she spends so much time with because of work. Although not exactly for friendship purposes but more out of his protective brotherliness.

"Okay we'll see you all in about an hour."

"K. Bye Jules."

"Bye Sam."

Jules hangs up, surprised to find herself smiling and feeling in a light mood. Crazy what merely hearing his voice can do.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she gets up and heads straight for the bathroom. Once she's showered, dressed, and ready to face the day, Jules heads out in search of her brother.

Spotting him on the living room couch watching TV, Jules calls out his name, knowing better than to startle him.

Oliver looks up and smiles warmly. "Morning, Sis. Sleep well?"

She comes sit beside him on the couch and raises an eyebrow. "But it's not really morning is it? Why did you turn off my alarm?"

Oliver switches his attention back to the news report on the television screen. "You were sleeping soundly," he chances a glance her way,"no nightmares. Plus it's not like we went to sleep at a reasonable time last night "

Jules nods carefully, hearing what he didn't say. "You have nightmares?"

Oliver completely ignores the question, and not so subtly changes the subject. "We have to be on extra high alert these next few days. The Russians have been too quiet lately."

Jules nods, feeling guilty for not being there early in the morning to wake him from the terrors. "Yeah okay. You've talked to Anatoly?"

Oliver growls slightly, tightening his grip on the remote control. "He's clamped up. I think he knows something's up but even I can't get it out of him."

Jules places a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out. We can beat everything and anything the Russians throw our way." She waits a beat then asks the question she's dreading to know the answer to. "Think Waller's involved?"

Oliver sighs in frustration. "I don't know. Maybe."

Jules feels ice cold fear grip her but she ignores it. They both descend into an ominous silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally Jules speaks up. "My team's meeting up for lunch in about," she glances at her watch, "35 minutes." She flashes him a cautious smile. "And they want to meet you."

Oliver studies her face. It's obvious these men mean a lot to her. But his reasons for meeting them are out of caution - he needs to know who his sister works with on a daily basis. "Let's not keep them waiting then."

She hugs him. "Thanks Ollie."

 **FPFPFPFPFPFPFPFP**

Sam, Spike, Lew, Wordy, Ed, and Greg are all sitting at a booth at Templeton's laughing and talking as they wait for the last member of their team to arrive. At the moment they are sharing Team One stories with their rookie, Sam.

"...and then the woman runs out crying because Ed threatened to arrest her cat!" Wordy laughs as he finishes the story he's telling.

The guys all laugh with him at Ed's expense.

"Hey, that cat attacked me! It was assault on a police officer!" Ed defends himself.

"I remember you literally wanted to cuff Mr. Nemo and the woman threatened to sue you." Spike adds between laughs.

"So what happened in the end? Who won?" Sam smirks in amusement.

Greg grins at Ed. "Cat won. We had to let the subject go."

The table erupts in laughter once again.

"Alright, alright enough." Ed orders half heartedly and narrows his eyes playfully at Wordy. "Or do you want me to tell him about the time you decided to take Jules up on her offer to rappel?"

Wordy's eyes widen comically. "No!"

The laughter dies down as the guys all look at Ed expectantly, throwing Sam knowing smiles.

"This is a good one." Spike mock whispers to Sam, who snickers.

Ed sits back in his chair and smiles. "As we all know, Jules, our very own rappelling expert, went through a phase where she insisted we all needed to learn how to rappel expertly because our lives may one day depend on it-"

"Hasn't happened yet." Lew interrupts with a grin.

"Anyway Mr. Young, we all wisely declined but Wordy, well Wordy didn't. So during drills one day, Jules and Wordy went to the top of the drill house all geared up." Ed pauses and leans forward, smiling. "So we're all watching from the bottom and BOOM, Wordy comes flying down, twisting in mid air and landing upside down." He pauses to laugh. "Turns out Jules just pushed him down as soon as he was latched in without warning claiming he had to be prepared for the unexpected!"

The guys all burst out laughing, including Wordy.

The laughter finally dies down, the guys holding their stomachs, when Spike speaks up.

"Speaking of Jules, where is she?"

Sam furrows his brow. "She said she'd be here with her brother."

This morning the team had met up at HQ to work out, wanting to fulfill their required off duty workout hours together. They were all surprised when Jules didn't show up and texted her a couple times. When she didn't answer, they realized she would be with her brother so they didn't call. After workout, however, the guys were planning to get lunch and call Jules to join them, so when Sam offered to call her they let him.

Spike clears his throat and looks at the guys uncertainly. "With her brother?"

Greg notices his behavior and eyes him carefully. "Yeah. Is something wrong?"

Spike sucks in a breath as the guys all turn their attention to him. "It's just that a few days ago, Jules brought me an encrypted laptop she said was her brother's." He shifts uncomfortably, debating whether he should voice his concerns to the team. Deciding it's for Jules's own good, he recalls the incident. "The laptop was basically a large catalog of high powered assault rifles, machine guns, the works. I asked her why her brother had something like that and she just said her brother likes guns." He shrugs. "I've been racking my brain as to why he'd have something like that and I don't like the possibilities."

The guys are stunned into silence, not knowing what to say. Ed breaks the silence first, his concern and confusion transforming into anger.

"Damn, if her brother's involved in something, she should've told us!" He glares at Spike. "Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"

"Eddie." Greg begins calmly, shooting his team leader a look. "It's not Spike's fault or Jules's. And we don't even know for sure if that's the case."

"A catalogue of high power assault weapons isn't normal, Greg." Ed states through clenched teeth.

"Eddie's right, Boss. We should look into it." Wordy suggests, concern lacing his voice. If Jules's brother is involved in something dangerous and illegal that could therefore hurt Jules, shouldn't they do something to put a stop to it?

"But it's her personal life. Plus wouldn't she trust us enough to tell us if that's going on?" Lew points out.

"Would she?" Ed growls, referring to Jules's closed off character and the lack of knowledge on her personal life.

"Eddie let it go. I'll talk to Jules myself." Greg frowns, feeling protective for the young woman but simultaneously understanding where Ed is coming from.

Sam sucks in a breath, watching the tension thicken. It's obvious this team fiercely takes care of their own but they don't really know how to deal with someone as complicated as Jules and it frustrates them.

Suddenly, Greg rises from his seat and smiles, waving someone over. The guys turn in that direction and spot Jules accompanied by a tall, well built man with sandy blond hair.

"Hey guys!" Jules greets, taking the vacant seat beside Spike as her brother pulls up a chair beside her. She motions to the man. "This is my brother Oliver."

Oliver plasters on the fake smile he reserves for use in public, the smile he would plaster on for the paparazzi back in Starling City a lifetime ago. He reaches deep down for his overconfident, carefree, playboy persona and is surprised to find it. "You all must be Team One."

Greg takes the lead and shakes his hand. "That's right. I'm Sgt. Greg Parker."

Each member shakes Oliver's hand and states their name, albeit a bit coldly and cautiously. At Ed's turn, however, Oliver sees more hostility and therefore inevitably shakes the other man's hand with more force than necessary.

"So, Oliver, what do you do for a living?" Spike asks with a hint of suspicion.

Oliver and Jules share a quick subtle look, the actions of her teammates not having gone unnoticed. They haven't even met Oliver until now and they are already acting in a negative fashion towards him. And seemingly for no reason.

Oliver clears his throat and smiles easily. "I fix up cars." He shrugs. "I own the shop so it's not that bad."

"Not at all." Jules grins, fighting the urge to glance at Sam, who has been stealing glances at her since she arrived. "Means he can fix my motorcycle at a moment's notice."

Oliver doesn't point out that Jules actually fixes her own motorcycle, but instead flashes her a smile. Nevertheless, they're both thankful no one asks why neither of them use cars since they work with them on a daily basis. That would just bring up terrible memories they both swore never to reveal to anyone.

An awkward silence ensues, everyone seeming to study Oliver as he in turn does the same. Oliver however focuses more on the blond man who has not so subtly been looking at his sister. He feels his blood burn at the idea of a man looking at his sister that way.

"Hi. I'm Nancy. May I take your orders?" A waitress smiles, breaking into the thick silence. Everyone places their orders and thank Nancy. She leaves with an assurance that their food will be arriving soon.

A phone begins to ring and Ed excuses himself. "Sorry, I gotta take this." He abandons the table and steps out of the restaurant.

Spike then turns to Jules. "We missed you at workout this morning."

Jules shrugs a shoulder and gives a simple answer. "Slept in." She then changes the subject. "So did you fix Babycakes?"

"Babycakes?" Oliver lifts an eyebrow, pretending to be enthralled in the conversation while covertly scanning his surroundings. Too many people are entering the restaurant and his senses are running into overdrive, especially since the enemy after them has no face. Yet.

Spike grins widely at that, showing off his dimples. "It's my robot. I've been having some trouble with her rotator cuffs lately."

"Maybe cause you use her to much." Lew quips. "Even when we don't have a bomb call."

"Yeah. Like when we were patrolling and you used her to block a runner." Wordy laughs, remembering the incident that happened the previous week.

Sam smirks. "Poor guy tripped over the robot and Sarge had no idea what was happening."

"All I heard was a metallic clang, laughing and a subject down." Greg laughs. "For all I knew you all could've simply thrown something at the poor guy."

Spike smiles proudly. "Not my fault Babycakes is so awesome. She's my partner in crime."

"Hey! I thought I was your partner in crime!" Lew pretends hurt, smiling nonetheless.

Jules rolls her eyes good naturedly at their banter. "It's a robot guys. Get over it." Before Spike can say something to counter her jab, she feels a small metaphorical light bulb flick on in her head. "Hey Spike, maybe Oliver can give you a hand with Babycakes."

"He can?" Spike asks.

Oliver also looks at his sister with a question mark on his face. He can fix anything, but so can she. Why didn't she offer?

And then it hits him. Jules wants him to be friends with these guys. He contemplates turning it down but realizes it's an opportunity to learn more about these people. He turns to shoot Spike a smirk. "It's like fixing a car - it's all mechanics."

Spike thinks about the offer. He knows with a little probing he can fix his robot himself. But this might be his only opportunity to uncover the mystery about that man. So with a grin he accepts. "Cool. Can you drop by the SRU tomorrow morning? Shift starts at 6 and we have a bust at 10, so I need the robot by then."

"Sounds perfect." Oliver nods, expertly hiding his discomfort at the amount of people in the restaurant. He can feel the weight of some women's eyes on him and he fears recognition.

Jules senses his discomfort, since she herself is beginning to feel slightly agitated.

Over the last 5 years, they've both had trouble adjusting to company other than themselves and fitting into society in general. Trust to them doesn't come easily and having too many people around that they can't trust makes them feel as if they need to be on the defensive.

"Sorry guys but that was Holleran." Ed appears back at the table and retakes his seat. "Seems the task force is having their first meeting tomorrow at 7."

"Guess they're eager to catch those guys." Wordy muses.

"I'm glad." Greg shares. "Those two need to be put in their place and leave justice to the law enforcement."

Spike rolls his eyes. His counter opinion concerning the vigilantes causes friction with the team's seniors but he refuses to back down. He's heard of and followed their acts via the media and although he disagrees with their tactics, he can honestly say they're effective and that their intentions are good.

Oliver, however, clenches his fists under the table in response to the conversation. Unlike Jules, his temper always gets the best of him and anger always lingers on the edges of his actions.

Jules places a comforting hand on his fist and takes the initiative by rising from her seat. She makes a show of checking her phone and frowning. "Sorry guys but we gotta go."

"A boyfriend?" Lew teases with a smile.

Jules takes the suggestion to her advantage and, knowing that it'll also alienate Sam, answers. "Yup. So gotta go."

Sam's eyes flash with a bit of jealousy and hurt but he clamps it down, forcing a smile. Jules notices and is glad her comment had the intended effect.

"But aren't you going to wait for your food?" Greg asks.

"We'll take it to go." Jules answers.

"It was nice meeting you all." Oliver remarks coldly, obviously not meaning his words. He does however narrow his eyes at Sam who meets his glare head on with defiant eyes.

The team nods curtly in response, wondering why the room seemed to have dropped in temperature just now.

Jules smiles awkwardly and heads out of the restaurant, closely followed by Oliver, completely forgetting the food.

Once they find themselves in the mostly deserted parking lot, Jules leans against her motorcycle and speaks up. "They're usually not like that. I honestly don't know what's up with them."

Oliver roughly clasps on his helmet and turns his icy stare on her. "This was an unnecessary risk. We shouldn't have come."

She sighs. "I really wanted you to like them."

He runs a hand through his hair, his anger still boiling. "Why Jules? Why now? It's been a year and all of a sudden you want to play friends."

She bites her lip and expertly hides the hurt he just inflicted with his words. "Because it's taken me this long to realize that they care. "

Oliver clenches his fists. "And I don't?"

She huffs angrily. "Yes Oliver you do. But so do they. They're my friends and I happen to like them."

He exhales and scratches the back of his neck. "I understand that. I do and I'm okay with it - even if they seem to hate my guts." He then clenches his jaw. "What I don't understand is why one of your so called friends wants to get in your pants."

Jules tenses. "What are you talking about?"

He laughs humorlessly. "I saw the way he looks at you." He clenches his fists and narrows his eyes at her. "And I saw how hard you were trying to avoid looking at _him."_

Jules narrows her eyes and answers calmly and coldly. "None of that is true. We're just friends."

Oliver stares straight into her brown eyes. "Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?"

Jules turns on her heel and clasps on her helmet, immediately climbing her motorcycle. She glances at her watch. 2 PM. Shift today starts at 6 and runs until midnight. And then tomorrow they start at 6 in the morning. "I'll be home around 1 tonight. Bye Oliver. Good luck with Smoak."

She leaves without another word, burning rubber in the process. Oliver just stands there, struggling to keep his anger under control. He climbs his motorcycle and heads home - time to go get ready for tonight anyways.

And maybe hit something before then.

 **A/N: If my Flashpoint people don't understand some Arrow references or something about a character, please ask. And if my Arrow people don't understand something about the Flashpoint dynamic, please ask too. I'd be more than happy to answer your questions.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and follows! They mean so much to me! I hope you are all enjoying this adventure :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Flashpoint or Arrow. If I did Flashpoint would have never ended and Arrow would have...turned out differently.**

 _ **Lian Yu, 12 years ago**_

 _"Ollie! Come! Let's watch a movie!"_

 _Oliver could hear her sweet voice as it floated towards him, seemingly coming from all directions. His footsteps reverberated in the mournfully empty hallway as the dark wood and flickering lights led him further down as he continued his search for his little sister. It felt as if it would never end._

 _"Juli, where are you?!"_

 _His voice was strained as he took a right and was faced with another long strip of hallway that seemed to go on to the ends of the earth. He rocked slightly from side to side and as if for the first time, realized he was on the Queen's Gambit._

 _"I'm right here Ollie!"_

 _He turned around quickly at the sound of her voice, frowning at the door that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. His heartbeat quickened as confusion and fear set in, a trickling of sweat running down his brow._

 _He placed his shaking hand on the doorknob, frowning when he felt icy coldness licking at his feet. He looked down in horror as dark water seeped from under the door._

 _He turned the knob, his heart beating in a frenzy when it wouldn't budge. He continued incessantly, his fists connecting with the wooden door in frustration and fear._

 _"Juli! Juli! Open the door!"_

 _Only silence met his pleading cries._

 _And then: "I love you, I love you more, I love you most."_

 _The soft singing coming from inside sent chills down his spine. But as the gentle singing became gurgled as if under water, he began to panic._

 _He pounded harder, his breath coming in short gasps, and suddenly the door flew open, a wave of icy ocean water crashing into him._

 _He gasped and sputtered as the water invaded his lungs, choking him._

 _He coughed and coughed and abruptly opened his eyes. Only to be hit by a wave of confusion._

 _He was back at the cave, the musty earthy scent immediately invading his senses, as water rolled down his face onto the ground beside him._

 _He wiped at the water and looked up to see the Asian man towering over him, holding a now empty gourd. It all made sense now - he had been dreaming._

 _The Asian man grunted, eyeing Oliver carefully, before tipping his head to the side of the cave._

 _Oliver followed the motion and spotted his baby sister sitting with her back to him. Not caring about the consequences, he rushed up, wobbling slightly at the sudden movement, and fell to his knees beside his sister, feeling tears of relief flood his cheeks._

 _She was here. Alive. Not lost in a never ending maze on a sinking ship._

 _"Juli." He reached out and she finally turned to him, tears streaming down her cheeks._

 _He frowned as he wiped some dirt off her small face, wiping his own eyes with the crook of his other arm. Her tears scared and worried him. "Did he hurt you?"_

 _She shook her head furiously. A look of shame crossed her features and he could sense her utter distress. "I had to Ollie. You wouldn't wake up and I was so hungry."_

 _He looked back to where he had been sleeping. How long had he been out? He mentally kicked himself for that - his sister needed him and he had been dozing, although not voluntarily._

 _Then her other words registered. "What did you have to do?"_

 _She bit her lip and looked away. She then reached for a bowl and handed it to him, her eyes never meeting his._

 _The bowl contained some kind of meat - cooked he realized. He touched it gingerly and brought it to his lips, eating a morsel. It_ was _meat. But then her sister would be happy, not guilty. Why was she so heartbroken?_

 _As if sensing his unspoken question, the girl whispered. "He brought in a bird and he asked me if I was hungry. He told me to kill it." She sobbed and breathed raggedly. "I killed it with my hands, Ollie."_

 _Suddenly the meat was no longer appetizing. He put down the bowl and gathered her in his arms, holding her as she cried._

 _"Eat. Crying won't help you survive."_

 _Both siblings tore apart and looked up with wide eyes at the Asian man as he uttered his first words._

 _Oliver felt anger surge in him and he stood on shaky legs, narrowing his eyes. "Who the hell are you? And why are you doing this to us?"_

 _The man stared at him with a stone face. His eyes flicked down to the shaking girl and his eyes seemed to soften. "I'm not doing anything to you but keeping you alive. You must learn how to survive so you won't get killed."_

 _Oliver eyed him warily. "Why?"_

 _The man didn't answer. "Eat. Then you will go pick berries." With that, the man returned to the rock he had previously been sitting on, sharpening what Oliver now realized were hand made arrows._

 _Oliver stared after him but finally sat, taking the bowl in his hands and placing it on his sister's lap. Although he understood her pain at killing a small animal, the man was right - they had to eat to survive. "Eat, Juli."_

 _She stared at the bowl for some time, and then a determined look fell on her wet eyes. They both ate the meat silently, a strangled sob escaping Juli every bite or so._

 _At mid-afternoon, they abandoned the cave in favor of picking berries, the Asian man not far behind. The man only spoke to warn them against the poisonous berries or to order them to remain in a certain area._

 _Weeks and countless days passed as they began to warm up to the man that for some unknown reason was offering them his knowledge and protection._

 _There was one particular day that Oliver never thought he'd see._

 _He had just reentered the cave after picking fruits and he'd heard soft conversation coming from inside._

 _"Well actually my name is Julianna but Ollie has called me Juli since I was a baby."_

 _"Yao Fei."_

 _"What?"_

 _The scratching that was probably the Asian man sharpening arrows stopped. "My name is Yao Fei. I used to be a General in the Chinese Army."_

 _There was a short silence. "Is that why you are helping us? Because you were a soldier?"_

 _Another silence ensued and Oliver thought the man he now knew to be named Yao Fei would never answer._

 _Until he spoke that is. His words held a nostalgia to them as he shared. "I have a daughter. You remind me of her."_

 _They remained quiet after that, the scratching of arrows starting up again, and Oliver had walked in with a new understanding of their savior._

 _Oliver had seen the man smile more often after that and so had Juli, and eventually so did he._

 _Maybe they were going to be alright after all._

 _He was wrong._

 _A week after something terrible happened. Something that broke them both forever._

 _If only he had said no._

* * *

 **SRU Headquarters, 5:00 PM**

Sweat trickles down her back, down her face, and into her clothes, soaking them. She will probably have some bruised knuckles from punching the bag so strongly afterwards but she doesn't care.

 _It's been a year and all of a sudden you want to play friends._

Oliver's words keep playing in her head like a broken record. It's not that she never intended for the guys to meet her brother, but she had just joined them a year ago and didn't trust anyone of them. But they had slowly and steadily earned her trust and she had realized that they trusted her too - that they cared for her genuinely.

 _I saw the way he looks at you. And I saw how hard you were trying to avoid looking at him._

Jules throws a kick just for good measure as anger surges in her. At herself and Sam Braddock. How could she be so obvious? Why does he do this to her? Doesn't he understand that she will only get him hurt? Doesn't he know that she's too far down and will drag him with her if he dare approach?

 _Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?_

Honestly she doesn't know. She tries to tell herself that he has no effect on her, that the electric currents running through her are just product of her imagination. That no man will trick her ever again.

But then her heart beats and her body drowns. And she realizes that it's for him.

But those thoughts are selfish. Because if she dare give into him not only does she risk hurt, but he risks death.

Echoing footsteps and hushed voices capture her attention, and she chances a quick glance at her watch. 5:00 PM.

 _I've been here for three hours,_ she realizes.

She stops her beating on the innocent object dangling helplessly before her, noticing at once her bloody knuckles. She watches bright red blood trickle down with fascination and flexes her fingers, feeling only numbness.

 _Am I still human?_

She grabs the towel draped on the treadmill and damps it with some water from her water bottle. She gently cleans her hands, turning as a single pair of footsteps approach her.

Sgt. Parker eyes the young woman. "You okay Jules?"

"Just making up for the workout hours I missed this morning." She looks past him. "Is the team here? I thought I heard you all talking."

Greg nods and motions with a hand towards the men's locker rooms, oblivious to the deflection. "They're getting dressed. Shift officially begins at 6, so for once I told them that we will actually start shift at 6."

Jules chuckles. Usually if shirts starts at 6 it means you better be here at 4:30 to start at 5. But since they've been pulling extra shifts this week because Team Two is on vacation, Boss has apparently decided to be lenient.

They stay silent for awhile, Jules wiping sweat off her face and neck as Greg seems to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Would you mind talking in my office?"

Jules raises an eyebrow, studying the SRU sergeant closely. He looks slightly uncertain. Almost as if he must swallow a bitter pill, knowing it's for the best but hesitating nonetheless.

"Lead the way."

She follows him to his office, standing by the door with her arms crossed as Greg leans against his large wooden desk.

"Everything okay Boss?"

The man looks up at her with a raised eyebrow. "I don't know, Jules. Is it?"

A guarded mask falls over her face but Greg thankfully doesn't seem to notice. Jules has, after all, tricked a lie detector itself.

"I'm not sure I understand where you're going with this, Boss."

The man lifts his cap and runs a hand over his head. "Jules, what can you tell me about your brother?"

Jules intentionally allows some confusion to show on her face. "What do you want to know?"

Greg feels at a loss, all of a sudden feeling his earlier concerns had no merit. If her brother was some kind of gun trafficker or criminal, Jules would have looked shocked or guilty or guarded... Anything. But the girl simply looks confused and curious.

Greg switches tactics and decides to be blunt. "Spike told us about the laptop."

Jules feels a small surge of betrayal but she quickly clamps it down - it's not like it was a secret anyway, she tells herself. Still she can't help but feel a slight tinge of hurt.

But it doesn't show on her face. Instead she acts amused. "He told you all about the catalogue of weapons huh?"

For some reason Greg feels like the tables were turned. He nods slowly. "Yes. And I would like to know why your brother has something like that."

Jules laughs softly, a lie forming in her brain and dripping on her tongue. "Boss, that laptop held a weapon catalogue because my brother was looking to buy a gun from a foreign country. Like I told Spike, he likes guns. He's a collector." She shrugs and smiles lightly.

Greg raises an eyebrow. "Really?" He sounds impressed, curious even.

"Yup. He's looking to buy a Dutch rifle. The laptop was encrypted because I was trying to be Spike and messed with it. Turns out I couldn't roll back the damage so I asked Spike for help."

Greg shakes his head and laughs lightly, feeling bad that he brought her in for questioning as if she were a criminal. Turns out there was a logical explanation like he knew there would be. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions Jules. Your brother sounds like an interesting young man, and on behalf of the team, we'd like to apologize to him."

Jules smiles. "He's coming to help Spike work on baby cakes tomorrow, remember? You all can talk to him then."

Greg nods and motions with his chin to the door. "I'll go clear this up with the guys now."

He pats her shoulder as he walks by, making Jules's insides clench with shame. Even after he's long gone, she just stands there wondering why all of a sudden it hurts to lie to her sergeant.

For some reason she feels like the enemy right now isn't the people of her past. But the person destroying her present and future in her new home.

Herself.

* * *

 **Smoak Hotels Headquarters, 10PM**

Oliver stills. He stills his feet as they rest on the luscious green grass. He stills his breathing and heart rate as to not alert a single soul of his presence. He stills his roaming eyes as they land on the fifth window from the right of the 10th floor.

The window he knows to be Andrew Smoak's office.

He glances at his wristwatch. 10PM. Smoak is probably finishing some last minute details before he will pack his shiny black briefcase and go home, smiling as he thinks of all the money he will suck out his client's credit cards.

The thought makes Oliver's fists clench at his sides.

Training his eyes once again on the lighted window, he makes his way quietly to the back of the building. Once there, he retrieves a hook arrow with a line from his back. Aiming at a beam on top of the building, he lets the arrow flying, smiling when the click signifies it hit home.

Pulling on the line to make sure it's secure, he fastens it to his belt. He grips it with both hands and yanks, flying into the air as the line rolls back into the arrow.

On the roof, he picks the lock on the air vent latch and crawls inside, going by memory as he searches for Smoak's office. Finally, he's right on top of the office.

A laugh. "A yes, dear I'm almost done here." A pause. "Why of course, I would love that. Bye dear."

Andrew Smoak hangs up the phone, smiling lightly after speaking with his beloved daughter. He begins to pack up his documents, when a sudden click from the ceiling captures his attention. He looks up warily, eyes widening when a figure in dark green shoots out from the air vents, landing steadily before him, an arrow pointed at his heart.

He simply stares at the infamous Arrow with an unsettling smile.

"Andrew Smoak, you have failed this city." Oliver's mechanical voice growls as his green eyes glare at the despicable man.

Nevertheless, the man simply chuckles, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Ahhh the Arrow. I was wondering when you would pay me a visit."

Unfazed, Oliver counters. "Then you should know what to do."

The older man laughs heartily, running deft fingers through his crop cut silver hair. "Except, Mr. Arrow. Unlike most of your, uh, _targets,_ I do not fear you. Quite the contrary, you should fear _me_."

Oliver remains calm, only slightly tightening his grip on his bow. It suddenly hits him how much he needs Jules right now. His little sister would have his back and he wouldn't be feeling as if he was walking into a trap.

Bracause he would know whether he was and he would know what to do to turn the tables.

"Mr. Smoak I believe you're forgetting who's holding the arrow."

Andrew Smoak grins, his smile menacing. "And I believe you are forgetting who I am."

"Enlighten me." Oliver growls.

"My pleasure." Andrew Smoak answers, lifting his hand. His fingers uncurl from a small device and he places it on the desk. "Now I just alerted the police. There's no way out and in no time you'll be heading to jail."

Oliver grins. "Now I believe the one underestimating is you, Mr. Smoak." He pauses. "I expect you to transfer all that money back into the people you stole it from and half a million to the city's bank account by 10PM tomorrow night. Or I come back." With a grin, Oliver adds. "Not alone."

The blaring of the police sirens spurs Oliver into motion and he aims his arrow at the window, blasting through it.

Andrew Smoak watches with an eerie calm, moving aside so the masked vigilante can jump out. He leans over the window, following the green leather until it disappears into the darkness.

Going back to the darkness it came from, he muses.

He then takes out his cellphone, dialing a number. He presses his phone to his ear with a sinister smile.

"It's confirmed. The Queens are here. In Toronto."

 **A/N: Please Review! Let me know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all who are still here with me! I appreciate every review, favorite, and follow, so keep em coming! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **The Cabin, 12 AM**

"Oliver?" She pauses in her steps, focusing solely on listening. "Oliver, I just got home from work. It's me, Jules."

She hears a slight thump from upstairs. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She reaches for her off duty weapon. Another thwarted thump.

Now on high alert, Jules stealthily walks up the stairs, keeping her breathing even and her heart rate steady.

The sound, she accurately surmises, is originating from her brother's bedroom. Standing on the other side of his door, she mentally counts to three before opening the door.

Oliver is standing, staring at the dark skies from the open window. He's holding a small rubber ball in one hand, creating the thump everytime he throws it at the wall.

"Oliver?" She deftly places her gun back in her holster as she walks forward.

"He was so calm."

Jules frowns, furrowing her brows. "Oliver? What are you talking about?"

"He knows something. Or someone. Or..." Oliver throws the rubber ball at the wall angrily, catching it with ease as it bounces back with force.

Jules walks forward, mindful of his current state. She places a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Ollie, what are you talking about?"

Oliver turns abruptly, his dark green eyes burning. "I don't know. That's the problem. Something was off with Andrew Smoak and I don't know what."

Jules crosses her arms in front of her chest. "How?"

"Well, for one, there were no obvious, or even concealed, signs of fear. He also had this disgustingly unsettling smile on his face. He could have captured me but he just let me go." Oliver runs a hand through his hair, both distressed and perplexed. "Everything was too easy."

Jules frowns, her stomach doing a back flip. "He's planning something."

"That much I can figure out." Oliver growls. "The question is what..."

"Bonus points for when and where?" Jules muses.

Oliver, despite himself, chuckles. He looks over at his sister, really looks at her, and his face softens. "I'm sorry for earlier Jules. I was being a jerk. But I meant what I said. I just don't like the way I said it." He pauses. Although her face is set in sculpture, he continues. "If I were you, I wouldn't trust a single soul in this world."

"I thought I already told you that they're my friends." Her tone is icy as she maintains the stone set to her face.

Oliver nods, turning back to throwing the rubber ball against the wall. He repeats this three times before Jules begins talking again.

"They asked me about you."

Oliver turns back to face her.

"Spike told the team about the laptop. Boss implied that they thought you're involved in gun trafficking, so I told them you're a gun collector as a cover story." Jules shrugs. "Just in case anyone brings it up tomorrow..." She glances at her watch. "Or should I say, later today."

Oliver nods, throwing her a look. "That's what I meant. Do not trust anyone." He then turns back to the window.

Jules stands there for some time before exiting his bedroom in search of her own.

She only has about four hours of rest before the sun forces its way back up.

Four hours.

Four words.

Do not trust anyone.

 **SRU Headquarters, 5:00 AM**

Two black motorcycles come to a stop in the parking lot of the Metro Police building, and two persons climb off with ease. They remove their helmets and gloves, making no move to head inside.

Oliver stands with his legs set slightly apart, his muscled arms straining in front of his chest. His green eyes maintain an intense stare down with the building, as if by staring at it, it will somehow evaporate.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Jules lightly taps his arm, indicating her presence.

Oliver plasters on a fake smile. "What are you talking about?"

Jules purses her lips, eyeing him carefully, as if attempting to figure out the motive behind a criminal's actions.

She finally shrugs her slender shoulders. "Okay then, let's go."

The siblings make their way into the building and walk inside, automatically heading for the stairs and walking out on the correct floor.

As soon as the glass doors to the lobby slide open, they hear a voice call out.

"Jules!"

Jules turns her attention to the Italian man waving her over from his position behind a large bulky machine.

Jules tips her head with a slight smile and walks towards him, Oliver close behind her.

"Hey, Spike."

The man rises from the ground and wipes off some automobile grease from his hands with a dark blue cloth. "Hey, Jules." He tips his head slightly. "Oliver."

Oliver simply nods in acknowledgement.

A tense silence ensues until Jules speaks up.

"Well, I better let you boys work on, um, the robot." She directs her next question to Spike. "Is anyone else around?"

"Yeah, Boss and Ed are having an," he pauses, carefully searching for the right word,"discussion in the briefing room. Sam is in the shooting range. Wordy and Lew aren't here yet."

Jules nods, weighing her options. She decides the gun range is the most logical choice despite its current occupant. She offers a quick wave and smile to the guys as she walks towards her locker room.

Both men look like ticking time bombs. Two explosives that even the robot made for that sole purpose before them can't diffuse.

She only hopes they don't detonate.

 **SRU HQ, Lobby, 5:25 AM**

Both men watch Jules's retreating form and simultaneously wish they could walk away from each other as well.

However, they are both here for the same reason, although neither know it.

To find out more about the other.

"So this must be the so called Babycakes." Oliver allows.

Spike hums in agreement, returning his attention to his beloved robot.

Oliver stands awkwardly as he watches the other man use a ratchet to remove some screws.

Suddenly, the brunette leans back on his heels and sighs. "I'm sorry."

Oliver lifts an eyebrow.

Spike rubs his shoulder with the opposite hand sheepishly. "Jules, um, she came to me with a laptop. It had... Well, you know. And I thought you were, um..."

"A gun trafficker? Part of the mafia?" Oliver supplies.

Spike chances a glance at the man, attempting to decipher his tone. "Yeah."

Silence. It stretches on like the ocean until a wave ripples through in the form of laughter.

From Oliver.

Spike stares at the man as if he grew a second head.

Oliver sobers, offering Spike a one sided smile. "The actions of you and your team mates make a lot more sense now. Although, it really is a farfetched idea."

Spike lets a slow smile laze up to his face. "Yeah, it is." He groans. "I'm so sorry. We were all such jerks."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Oliver shrugs. He looks down at the piece of machinery. "Need a hand?"

Spike nods and both men begin to work in silence.

Until one of them begins to speak, acting on his true intentions.

"So how long have you worked here?"

Spike studies a rotator cuff as he answers distractedly. "About five years."

"That's quite some time. You always wanted to be a cop?"

"Not really. I wanted something more along the lines of video game making." Spike snorts softly. "But then I saw the effects video games have on kids after a shooting incident at a local theater and decided to protect them from that instead."

Oliver scrutinizes him carefully, weighing his honesty and integrity. He realizes this man isn't a bad person at all and actually a good cop. And, based on what Jules has shared, a good friend. He smiles, not completely genuine but not completely fake either.

Spike smiles back. "What about you? How long have you been in the business?"

"A couple years." Oliver answers vaguely. "I've always loved working with cars so I decided to make a career out of it."

The lie rolls off his tongue without a second thought.

"I thought you preferred collecting guns?" Spike frowns, poking a hole in his story.

Oliver doesn't miss a beat. "That's my more personal hobby."

Spike nods, continuing the veiled questioning. "How long have you been living in Toronto?"

"About two years." Oliver answers in a clipped tone, annoyed at what now seems to be an outright interrogation.

Spike realizes he pushed too far, too fast, and decides to remain quiet, mumbling something about the rotator cuffs.

He lets out a small sigh of relief, however, when Wordy and Lew walk into the lobby, effectively hampering anymore potential conversation between the two.

 **SRU HQ, Female Locker Room to Gun Range, 5:25 AM**

After retreating into the female locker room with the personalized name tag, Jules promptly exchanges her street clothes for the professionally gloomy attire.

Hesitating at the door, she mentally weighs her options once again. Uninvited, her brother's words float back to her.

 _I saw the way he looks at you. And I saw how hard you were trying to avoid looking at him._

 _Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?_

As if spoken by the air, the accusing words ripple through her being. She turns around, glaring at the empty locker room.

That's when she sees them.

Her eyes stare back at her coldly from the glaring mirror. Accusing her of past atrocities, present lies, and future actions.

 _Who are you trying to convince? You know what you did. You're a monster. A cold blooded killer._

Jules feels her heart beat quicken as her hands sweat. She shakes her head furiously. "No, no, no."

The eyes shine with mirth, bleeding at the corners.

Jules's own eyes widen as she stumbles out of the locker room, her lungs gasping for air. She finally finds it, the air that isn't tainted with her bloody thoughts.

"Jules?"

She looks up to see none other than Sam Braddock standing a couple feet away.

She immediately straightens her posture and schools her features. "Sam."

His blue eyes, offering comfort in their color, stare at her intently. "You okay?"

Jules allows annoyance to seep into her features and words. "Yes, Sam, I am."

Not entirely convinced, the blond nods. "Wanna join me at the shooting range? We can make a couple bets without the Sarge around."

Jules softens her features. "Yeah. Okay."

They walk in companionable silence until they reach the gun range.

"Rifle or handgun?"

"Rifle."

"20 for 20?"

"You bet."

Sam pauses, looking around. He then reaches out a hand and places it on her arm, prompting her to look up. "I win, we spend some time together outside of work. Just me and you."

Jules's eyes form slits as she glares at his bravado. "Sam..."

"Come one, Jules. Just a friendly outing between friends."

Although both his body language and tone say otherwise, she nods before she even realizes that she's actually agreeing. She blames his eyes and their enticing offer.

Sam smiles as if he just received the best present anyone can ever ask for. For him, he has.

Jules clears her throat to break the connection their eyes have begun, and offers her own bargain. "If I win, you're not allowed to ask me out ever again."

There's a pleading tone to her voice that she hopes he doesn't pick up. But based on his grin, he has.

Sam's eyes adopt a determined glint as he stretches out a hand. She hesitantly places her slender hand in it.

"Deal."

The contact makes their skins tingle and they both suppress the urge to shiver as the electricity courses through their bodies.

The connection is broken once again, however, by the only person thinking with their brain.

They both then grab their weapons and stand in position beside each other.

"Ready?"

They both know what's at stake and they're both willing to fight for it, one more than the other.

"Ready."

 **SRU HQ, Briefing Room, 5:25 AM**

"Eddie, I really don't know."

"Greg, think about it. Your involvement would give it more public backup to counteract the critics."

Greg runs a hand over his hairless head, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Ed, look. I really don't think it's a good idea that I join this task force. I want to keep public safety and the hunt for those criminals separate."

Ed raises a challenging eyebrow. "And what is the difference between capturing two criminals and public safety?"

"Eddie, these aren't run of the mill criminals. They need their own task force!" Greg presses. "I can't focus on both, I'm bound to get wrapped up in on one or the other. And I want to focus on doing my job."

Ed seems to truly weigh his friend's words and finally relents. "I guess I can see your reasoning. But just to be clear, will you be able to help out on occasions?"

Greg smiles softly. "Ed, I'm not against the task force. It's a great initiative and I'm 100% behind it. I'm not against your involvement either. If you can handle both this job and that task, then go ahead."

Ed nods swiftly. "Got it." He turns on his heel, and is about to head out, but calls over his shoulder. "After workout, make the guys run some drills. I have to head over to the meeting. I'll be back before noon."

Greg nods and Ed exits the briefing room, heading to the local police department where the first meeting for the new task force is about to make history.


End file.
